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Established to promote, support and fund research, investigative journalism, publications, videos and related initiatives, the TRACE Foundation advances commercial transparency and anti-bribery education. Through scholarships, prizes and grants awarded to individuals and organizations, it helps deepen understanding of the causes of corruption and the most effective ways to address it.
Funded by TRACE International, the Foundation operates under the guidance of an independent board with sole authority over project selection, execution and the distribution of funds—together, these efforts help drive meaningful progress in the global fight against corruption.
Given the extraordinary pressure on investigative journalism in the U.S. and many autocratic countries, the TRACE Foundation will shift its focus in 2026 from recognizing and rewarding past journalism to supporting future efforts with grants.
Mahmoud Elsobky won the Prize for his investigative piece, “Syrian Airline, Haftar’s Army Profit from Human Smuggling.” This undercover project, supported by RIJ and published in the New Arab, exposes a network profiting off desperate migrants seeking refuge in Europe, bringing to light smuggling networks and the involvement of a private Syrian airline and a Libyan military authority.
The second recipient is a team of journalists from the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), in collaboration with the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, and Paper Trail Media, for the extensive report “Cyprus Confidential.” This 10-part series documents the sweeping degree to which the European Union has allowed member-state Cyprus to become a haven for financial misbehavior.
An honorable mention went to a team of journalists for their piece “Hawala: The Bankers of Irregular Migration” which explores and exposes the network of small businesses that sustain the world of migrants, but also endanger them.
A second honorable mention went to Roman Romanovskiy and Lizaveta Tsybulina with Istories Media for their piece “Why Russian Airplanes Keep Flying Despite the Imposed Sanctions” which explores the illegal shipments of spare parts of airplanes to Russia, continuing in the face of US sanctions imposed to paralyze Russian aviation.
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